Sunday, October 7, 2007

We're trying to decide whether or not to get a dog. I don't really want one, because I'm sure to get attitude from those crazy shelter workers who get all up in your face because you don't want the dog to actually sleep in your bed. But I look at it this way: Dogs are not hairy people. They need to work and earn their living, just like the rest of us. I would like a dog that could play with my kids; guard our family, property and livestock; and bring the goats in. I don't want a dog living in my house, because: hair, smell, and not bonding with the animals. I think I might be okay (I don't even know myself anymore) with letting the dog sleep in a crate in the laundry area at night, but then he's not outside making sure no funny business is going on. Grant claims he wants a dog, but you obviously can't trust a child who thinks he wants a pet, which is another reason I want a multipurpose dog. Then when the dog isn't fun for the kids anymore he'll still have jobs to do, and we can avoid the ick of having to take a perfectly good animal to the pound.

So, any ideas? From what I can gather from These Internets, a Stabyhoun would be a great all-purpose dog, but they are crazy hard to get here. And I'm sure that you have to sign in blood some contract that says you won't use the Stabyhoun for the purpose for which it was bred, which is to be a good all-around farm dog for poor farmers who can't afford more than one dog. Nope, only frisbee catching for this dog. No herding or guarding activities allowed!

Are all shelter people this way? Because all the people I've talked to have given the distinct impression that they would rather the dog stay in the cage in the kennel for months on end than be a working dog that lives in the backyard and runs around in the pasture with our goats. This is why people go to Kmart and get the free puppies out of the box, because they don't get a hefty serving of judgment to go along with it.

1 comments:

This is the great Kesler debate as well. I'm with you and Phil is much more inclined to be a shelter worker. Until I agree to have an indoor dog, he doesn't want one (which is fine with me) and until he agrees to have an outdoor dog, I refuse to have one. I suppose by default I win this one except that we have to keep having the debate. I told him that when we have a house big enough to have a "Man Room" he can have his dog in the Man Room. lol.